Singapore — The topic of installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras on shared spaces outside a Housing and Development Board (HDB) unit was frequently discussed this year, with captured footage and disputes trending online.
Whether it’s a man dressed as a ghost or a schoolgirl stealing school shoes left outside an HDB unit, CCTV cameras have caught various incidents which went viral once posted on social media platforms.
For example, a Hougang HDB resident warned others in March this year of a man who allegedly stole socks from their home entrance on multiple occasions.
“Pervert and sicko alert! Beware of him,” said the concerned resident in a Facebook post. She added that the door camera was just in front, yet the man “blatantly ignored it.”
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On a separate occasion, the target was school shoes left outside a unit at Jurong West. Surveillance footage showed a girl grabbing the shoes, wearing them and quickly walking away.
The homeowner expressed shock at the girl’s actions and noted that the shoes belonged to her son and were size 41.
“It can’t be like this all the time, things are always missing when I put them outside the door, don’t you see a CCTV camera above your head?” the resident asked.
Brazen schoolgirl caught stealing stranger’s school shoes in viral CCTV footage
On Jul 9, a man’s “petty” behaviour of deliberately stepping on his neighbour’s parcel was featured in a Facebook post.
The man was caught on camera stepping out of his flat, putting on a pair of shoes and walking down the hallway to step on a parcel that did not appear to be his.
He then walked down the corridor, pressed the lift button and returned to his flat.
Mean Neighbours: man caught on camera deliberately stepping on neighbour’s parcel
In yet another odd occurrence, a “hantu” neighbour was spotted harassing another resident by shaking their door grill while wearing a blanket over his head.
The white and floral blanket over the neighbour’s head made it difficult for the CCTV to capture his identity.
The use of CCTV cameras has sparked concerns among residents on privacy intrusion.
Such was the case for a Jalan Membina resident when he discovered that his neighbour’s doorbell had a camera on it.
However, the neighbour in question explained that the camera was installed to interact with delivery personnel remotely.
Residents in HDB flats are prohibited from installing CCTV cameras outside their homes unless with approval to do so from HDB.
It is mentioned in the Community Disputes Resolution Act, which was passed in 2015, that an individual who resides in a place of residence must not, directly or indirectly, and whether intentionally, recklessly or negligently, cause unreasonable interference with his or her neighbour’s enjoyment or use of the place of residence that the neighbour resides in.
These include causing excessive noise, smell, smoke, light or vibration, littering at or within the vicinity of the neighbour’s place of residence, obstructing the neighbour’s place of residents, and surveillance of the neighbour or of the neighbour’s place of residence, where the surveillance is done at or in the vicinity of that place of residence.
Cameras put to good use
Meanwhile, installing cameras can be of use to enforce a no-smoking rule at residences, specifically by windows or balconies, according to parliamentarian Louis Ng (PAP-Nee Soon).
“We have been told the use of the cameras will invade the privacy of smokers and their neighbours. But this can’t be true,” said Mr Ng on Sept 19.
He attached photos taken from National Environment Agency (NEA) surveillance cameras currently in use.
Mr Ng reiterated that camera surveillance is just one of the many options to deter smokers from smoking on windows and balconies. /TISG
NEA cameras can catch smokers at windows, no invasion of privacy committed: MP Louis Ng